Lehigh News Article

Including Spring Fling, Lehigh students perform over 50,000 hours of community service each year.

Over 1,200 community members attended the 12th annual Spring Fling on April 6 on the University Center lawn. Lehigh’s Community Service Office (CSO) coordinated the event with the help of 300 campus volunteers.

Spring Fling is the CSO’s annual carnival that provides cost free food, crafts and entertainment for families and children for a day. Emily Aagaard ’04, a former CSO volunteer, created the event to encourage local children to visit campus.

“This is a really important event for the Bethlehem community because everything here for them is free,” said Olivia Fitzmaurice-Shean ’14, one of the student coordinators of the event. “They can come and enjoy these events that they wouldn’t have access to normally.”

“We wanted to expose kids to life on a college campus,” said Carolina Hernandez, director of the CSO. “It’s a testament to the Lehigh spirit and to our commitment to service.”

Established in 1996, the CSO coordinates the efforts of students, faculty and staff as they engage in service throughout the Lehigh Valley. In addition to local volunteering, the CSO organizes major programs that include SERVE trips to cities across the country over academic breaks. To learn more about service at Lehigh, visit the CSO website at Lehigh.edu/serve.